Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

The secret to finding one of the most endangered bumblebees in the US? Dogs

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:55:02 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/02/the-secret-to-finding-endangered-rusty-patched-bumblebees-us-dogs>

"On a summer day in Somers, Wisconsin, Dave Giordano heard an unexpected
buzzing in his back yard. What he found shocked him – a rusty patched bumblebee
nest. The discovery was so rare it made the local news.

In the trade war, China has moved to curb supply of critical minerals. Can Australia seize the moment?

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:53:58 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/in-the-trade-war-china-has-moved-to-curb-supply-of-critical-minerals-can-australia-seize-the-moment-254574>

"In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable
exception stood out: 31 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, were
strategically exempted from tariffs.

Community Land Trusts Are on the Rise in Hawai‘i

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:53:12 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://overstoryhawaii.org/community-land-trusts-are-on-the-rise-in-hawaii/>

"On Aug. 8, 2024, a new milestone was reached in the aftermath of the deadly
Lahaina wildfire that destroyed 2,200 structures and displaced 12,000
residents: A Lahaina nonprofit secured its first residential parcel for

Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:51:46 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/thailands-fragile-democracy-takes-another-hit-with-arrest-of-us-academic-254706>

"Despite the challenges faced by local democratic activists, Thailand has often
been an oasis of relative liberalism compared with neighbouring countries such
as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

The “De” In “Decentralization” Stands For “Democracy”

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:50:46 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/17/the-de-in-decentralization-stands-for-democracy/>

"There’s a certain dark irony in watching tech billionaires who built their
empires on the “democratizing power of technology” now actively working to
dismantle democratic institutions. The same figures who once championed

Most bees nest in the ground. Offering rocks and gravel is a simple way to help them thrive

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 19:49:10 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/most-bees-nest-in-the-ground-offering-rocks-and-gravel-is-a-simple-way-to-help-them-thrive-254707>

"Of the more than 20,000 bee species in the world, 70% nest in the ground. And
like many of their counterparts that nest above ground, these bees are facing
rapid population declines.

Ancient Himalayan Water Temples Are Meeting Modern Needs

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:19:16 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://reasonstobecheerful.world/ancient-himalayan-water-temples/

"In Uttarakhand’s prime fruit-growing region, a brightly clad woman carries a
pitcher to what looks like a tiny temple set amid apricot orchards. This
400-year-old structure is one of the hundreds of water temples, locally called

Nayib Bukele: El Salvador’s strongman leader doing Donald Trump’s legwork abroad

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:18:18 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/nayib-bukele-el-salvadors-strongman-leader-doing-donald-trumps-legwork-abroad-254629>

"The US president, Donald Trump, has unleashed a string of controversial
policies since returning to the White House that have put his administration at
odds with most of the world. He has, at the same time, forged an alliance with

Trump’s newest grift: Building a cryptocurrency empire while destroying its regulators

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 11:35:59 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.citationneeded.news/trump-crypto-empire/

"In an unprecedented abuse of presidential power, Donald Trump is dismantling
federal cryptocurrency oversight while building a sprawling family crypto
empire worth billions. Through World Liberty Financial, a planned decentralized

Yoko Ono, ‘the first female punk rocker’, is an artist of benevolent magic

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 11:34:07 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/yoko-ono-the-first-female-punk-rocker-is-an-artist-of-benevolent-magic-250521>

Review: Yoko: A Biography – David Sheff (Simon & Schuster)

In 1945, when Yoko Ono was 12, her home city of Tokyo was firebombed. With her